Provided qualitative standards are met during production, biochar offers a promising opportunity to make agriculture more climate-friendly and resilient. The prerequisite is that there is no competition with higher-value uses of plant residues.
Biochar has environmental potential, particularly in the area of soil improvement in terms of nutrient supply, reduced fertilizer requirements and improved water availability and retention capacity. There is also potential as a filter material in water and wastewater treatment. Possible areas of application here include the treatment of rainwater, municipal and industrial wastewater. Through the stable binding of carbon in the soil, biochar contributes not least to long-term CO2 sequestration and represents an “upcycling” compared to the uncontrolled disposal of plant residues via incineration that is currently practiced in many places.
The effect of biochar depends heavily on the quality, dosage and integration into existing agricultural systems and habitats.
In the DBU project cluster “Biochar”, a country scoping exercise will initially provide an overview of the current status of biochar production and use as well as the influence of research and development projects on the transformation and innovation processes there. These potentials can then be further explored, developed and activated by knowledgeable local actors through in-depth country studies and concrete implementation projects (see individual responsibility according to Chapter XVI of the procedural provisions in the DBU’s funding guidelines).
In possible funding initiatives, particular attention should also be paid to the training and further education of the stakeholders involved in the areas of biomass use and biochar production. Projects that include a physical production process for biochar describe the safety concept in the funding application (input flows, processing methods, biochar products and their applications, ancillary process flows, approval issues, process monitoring with regard to occupational safety and toxicology/ecotoxicology). A system for regular analyses of the biomass used and the biochar produced by an independent institution must be planned. Projects applying for funding must include appropriate project funds for this purpose.
The regional focus for this international funding priority lies in the DBU target region in Central Eastern and South Eastern Europe. Here, the use of biochar could improve the quality of soils that are prone to erosion and – due to intensive land use and dry periods – are sometimes very poor in nutrients and semi-arid. Furthermore, potential for improving water quality is seen here, particularly in rural areas, especially where no centralized and high-tech treatment systems can be implemented in the foreseeable future.